Stateroom and accommodation enclosure for ships and the like



y 1937- G. s. SHARP 2,079,635

STATEROOM AND ACCOMMODATION ENCLOSURE FOR SHIPS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb.15, 1935 2 SheetsSheet l mmwmiiii 'i iiiiiiifi' fizuenlor:

flea/ye 1 2 May 11, 1937. v SHARP 2,079,635

STATEROOM AND ACCOMMODATION ENCLOSURE FOR SHIPS AND THE IKE Filed Feb.15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Axfi l b //N 13 2 J 6 13 A/ 1 I 29 .flzveniariM \s Gi n/ye GAY/261 12g y WW flfiorlzey Patented May 11, 1937 PATENTOFFICE STATEROOM AND ACCOMMODATION ENCLOSURE FOR SHIPS AND THE LIKEGeorge G. Sharp, Wyoming, N. J.

Application February 13, 1935, Serial No. 6,337 In Great Britain January14, 1935 Claims.

The subject of this invention is an improvement in the parts and methodsused to provide and erect partitions in living and/or utility quartersin ships, particularly, but may be adapted to other 5 uses, as interiorof buildings, and in units of construction such as cubicles to formgarages, etc.

By way of readily explaining the specifications and to save words theterm stateroom will be used with the understanding that it applies toany enclosure, whether public rooms such as lounge, dining saloon, barroom, etc. or utility rooms such as storerooms, lockers, crew's livingspaces, etc. and whether on board ship, train, or elsewhere.

In the past such partitions (which are in marine 15 phraseology calledenclosure bulkheads, cabin enclosures, cabin lining "and bulkheading,and ceiling and/or ceilings) have generally been constructed of wood ormany parts and have been built-up piecemeal with innumerable nails,

20 screws, bolts, etc. for faste'nings.

These wooden partitions or joiner bulkheads as they are also called,sometimes abut steel bulkheads built into the ship's structure whichconsist of riveted plates and shapes, and also the inside 2 shell ofvessel and underside of deck forming top surface of the room space, allof similar steel construction. These require lining and/or ceiling inorder to finish the interior surfaces of the staterooms in a livable andattractive manner as well 30 asto hide electrical wiring that may be ledto any desired part of walls and/or ceilings and the like.

The joiner bulkheads of wood with wood blocking and furring piecescommonly used were ex- 35 pensive while at the same time, because ofuse, establishing a unit of weight that was accepted in the marine fieldas a standard.

It has long been known that stateroom bulkheading and/or ceiling of woodhad many dis- 40 advantages amongst which are non-fireproofness,

squeaking unless carefully treated at joints, excessive thickness in wayof panel joints, a breeding place for vermin, lack of strength when thin45 paneling is used unless substantially framed, and the necessary forusing glue, innumerable nails, screws, bolts, etc. for fastenings.

It has also long been known that to increase weights or cost wasgenerally. undesirable, for the 50 reason that increased weights addtonnage to-the upper portions of a vessel, where such accommodations areusually provided, that must be offset by ballast in order to maintainthe vessels stability; and, that for ordinary bulkheading increasedcosts are justifiable only in spaces where decorative or architecturalconsiderations are warranted because of their special uses.

Further, it has long been known that substantially the same thicknessof. the bulkheading throughout its entire length was an aim to be ac- 5complislied so that surfaces wouldbe substantially flush, spaceconserved and pilasters, corner posts, etc., prevented from projectingappreciably into the space unless desired in special spaces only forspecial considerations.

Still further, it has long been known that in single partitionconstruction, that is, where one sheet or course of paneling constitutesthe partition as contrasted with double partition where studding orposts with panels on both sides forms a double wall with space inbetween, it was advantageous, both from the standpoint of appearance andcosts, to provide for electrical wiring without the necessity forseparate conduits or arrangements whereby outlets might be made atdesired points in walls and/or ceilings.

Additionally, it has long been known to be advantageous to provide meanswhereby fireproof construction could be utilized as long as panels offireproof qualities were employed, and also to utilize panels that couldbe insulated as to sound or temperature conditions, and which also mightbe finished as to decorative and protective coatings or eifects beforebeing erected in the ship, as well as after erection. V

A great many attempts have been made in the past to accomplish thesehighly important objectives which, however, have not been practicalsolutions for one or more reasons, but I have developed new parts andmethods that may be used in part or in whole assembly whereby all of theforegoing desirable features are accomplished, resulting in a systemfree from separate fastening parts, conserving space, with no necessaryincrease in weight and actually saving in weight by using mystandardized sectional members with any type construction, providingjoints that are substantially flush with surface of partition and hencedo not project appreciably beyond panel surface.

My invention may be utilized to economically and speedily construct anderect all types of single bulkheading and/or ceilings in connection withany materials of fireproof qualities such as steel, aluminum, asbestos,fibre composition, or other; or of non-fireproof properties such aswood, wall boards, laminated built-up materials of both metal and woodor fibre composition or other, and which may or may not be insulated,and which may be hollow or solid. 7 l

In all cases I use a small number of standardized metal sectional partsto form line joints, divisional joints, corner joints, top and bottomsills and door frames, all of which are universally adaptable to allsize spaces and enclosures on all types of ships, and which by providingin themselves hollow cores for electric wiring e1iminate the necessityfor special conduit to carry the electrical wiring and special unctionboxes at the point of electrical outlet attachment.

The sections or shapes which I use are of metal so shaped that bymathematical calculation of strength of materials as applied especiallyto metal structures I have all times a section with metal areas that, inassociation with calculations involving the distance of extreme fiberfrom a neutral axis in both directions, enables me to obtain maximumstrength with minimum thickness, and corresponding less weight, inproportion to the strength required and thicknesses of bulkheadingpanels used. 1

My system of stateroom construction is easily and quickly assembled anddisassembled, may be produced as standardized sections and by quantitymethods of production, and may be expanded in any direction according tothe area to be enclosed and/or sub-divided.

In particular, my system of stateroom construction avoids the necessityof using woodjointed bulkheading, with its innumerable fastenings, andprovides for uniform or odd sizes of panels and substantially flushwalls with no objectionable projections into the room space.

With my invention, the line posts, corner posts, divisional posts, anddoor posts which extend vertically between the top and bottom sills ofthe assembly support the panels and the panels themselves act as keys tointerlock said posts and sills, thus avoiding the necessity of using anyseparate fastenings, as bolts, screws, etc. for fastening together theposts, sills and panels. Ad ditionally, such posts, as well as the topand bottom sills, or any of them, have hollow cores through which theelectrical wiring is carried to any desired points in the room.

As suggestive of the many possibilities of my invention and asillustrative of a structure which I have erected and experimentally usedunder actual conditions of service and have found extremely satisfactoryfrom the standpoint of manufacture, assembly and service, I show in theaccompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of my invention, togetherwith certain modifications which may be desirable to use under certainconditions.

In such drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view partly broken away showing a stateroomconstructed and erected in accordance with the teachings of myinvention.

Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive are fragmentary sections showing my standardizedstructural units respectively as a line joint, a three way joint, acorner joint, and a four way joint.

Fig. 6 is a plan section of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section showing one of my standardizedstructural units as a combined door buck and jamb.

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing one of my standardized structural unitsin knock-down" form and used with ceiling panels quite often andsometimes elsewhere, such unit being sectional so that one of itssections may be removed to permit convenient insertion oi the adjacentpanels, and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section showing a modifled form of mystandardized structural unit designed to provide a plurality 01individual hollow conduit cores for electrical wiring, as well as jointshaving greater widths combined with necessary strength.

According to my system of stateroom construction I provide aninterlocked assembly of structural frame units and wall, ceiling and/orpartition panels in which the panels themselves key the variousstructural units together, thus obviating the" necessity for using anyseparate fastenings as bolts, screws, etc. The structural frame unitscomprise vertically disposed line, divisional, corner and door posts andhorizontally disposed bottom sill units and top structural members.

The posts are vertically channeled to receive the vertical edges of thepanel sections which are to constitute the walls and/or partitions ofthe stateroom. The bottom sill units and the top structural members arelongitudinally channeled to receive the horizontal edges of such panels.Thus the panels are supported by the posts and themselves key the poststo the bottom sill units and the top structural members.

The ceiling panels likewise key into channeled ceiling units which inturn are suitably connected in any convenient manner with the topstructural members. Preferably the ceiling units are duplicates of thebottom sill units although one of the ceiling units at least may beconveniently made with a removable section, see Fig. 8, to permitconvenient assembly of the final panel of the ceiling panel assembly.

All or as many as desired of the vertical posts, the bottom sill units,the ceiling units and the top structural members are formed to providehollow spaces which in themselves constitute conduits for theaccommodation of electric wiring.

The several structural frame units are desig- 4 nated generally in Fig.1 by the reference 'numerals I to 6 inclusive and such units, or certainof them, are detailed in separate figures of the drawings.

The units designated at I in Fig. 1 and deadapted to receive and retainthe vertical edges of the inserted panels which form the walls and/0rpartitions of the stateroom.

The units designated at 3 and detailed in Fig.

4 are adapted to be arranged vertically and provide corner posts whichreceive and retain the vertical edges of the inserted wall panels at thecorners of the stateroom.

The units designated at 4 in Fig. 1 and detailed in Fig. '7 are adaptedto be arranged vertically to provide combined door bucks and jambs orframes.

The units designated at 5 in Fig. 1 are top structural members suspendedfrom the deck beams of the deck above. These receive and retain theupper longitudinal edges of the inserted panels constituting the sidewalls and/or partitions of the stateroom as well as the outside edges ofthe ceiling panels.

The unit designated at 6 and detailed in Fig.

8 is a special ceiling unit which has a removable 7;

form size and of single rather than double type,

section to permit convenient assembly of the final panel of the ceilingpanel assembly. The unit designated at I and detailed in Fig. 5 is avariation of the three-way divisional post 2 detailed in Fig. 3 and isused as a four-way divisionai post where four wall and/or partitionpanels intersect each other at right angles.

The unit designated at 8 and detailed in Fig. 9 is a variation of anyofv the units I, 2, 3 or I and may be used where it is desired toprovide a plurality of independent space-forming conduits for electricalwiring.

Before proceeding to a detailed discussion of the several units thusidentified, I will explain briefly the method of assembling andinterlock-- ing the several units and panels to form the stateroom.

The fair lines having been established for the area to be enclosed as astateroom or other enclosure, the required number .of units I are laidvertically on edge transversely and longitudinally of the steel deck 9of the ship as bottom sills and fastened in any suitable manner to thedeck. The bottom edges of the wall forming panels II) and/or thepartition forming panels II of the stateroom are inserted in thechannels presented by the upper or exposed faces of these bottom sillunits, and may be concealed by such mouldings (not shown) as may bedeemed desirable to use in order to finish the stateroom in a decorativeand attractive manner.

The top structural members 5 are channeled on their under sides and aresuspended, preferably ln an adjustable manner, from the deck beams I2 ofthe deck above. The outside edges of the ceiling panels I3 are connectedto said top members 5 by means of suitable connectors which form no partof the present invention and hence are not illustrated. The insideedgesof the celling panels are received and retained in the channels ofstructural units I similar to the bottom sill units I but droppedhorizontally (see Fig. 1) rather than vertically on edge as in the caseof the bottom sill units, at least one of said ceiling units (see Fig.8) preferably having a removable face-section to permit convenientassembly of the final ceiling panel.

The several line posts I, (these being the same units as are employedfor the bottom sills and the ceiling panels units but arrangedvertically on end instead of horizontally) and the divisional posts 2 orI, the corner posts 3, and the door bucks I, are vertically erected atsuitably spaced intervals according to panels used, between the bottomsill units and the top structural members 5, such being accomplishedstep by step and so that each post is fitted to respective panels as-panels are placed, usually commencing at corner of space and proceedingto door, the assembled bulkheading accordingly fastened to its joiningmembers I, 2, 3, 4, 5, I

and supported by them and likewise such 'joining members supporting thepanelling I0 and II, etc.

Inasmuch as the bottom edgesof such panels are received and retained inthe upwardly disposed channels of the bottom sill units and the topedges of said panels are received and retained in the downwardlydisposed and registering channels of the top members 5, it results thatthe panels I8 and/or II themselves key the vertical posts to the bottomsills I and top members 5 without. the necessity of using any specialfastenings as screws, bolts, or the like.

It also results that the panels may be of unithe hollow posts, bottomsills and top members affording concealed conduits for electrical wiringto various points within the stateroom, and these posts also enablingflush wall joints without objectionable projections into the room space,as

in the case of joiner bulkheading. of wood.

Describing now the various structural units designated as I, 2, 3, 8, Iand 8', said units may all be said to comprise a metal member, which maybe cast, extruded or stamped, and however formed, provides an enclosedcentral core or hollow space I4 which serves as a conduit for electricalwiring, and are flanged as at .I5 to provide at least two and sometimesthree or four (units 2 and I, Figs. 3 and 5) channels I 6 for thereception andretention of .the panel edges.

Where the unit I is used as'abottom sill (see Fig. 1) and hence placedhorizontally on edge, the lower channel thereof may if desired straddlespaced lugs which are welded or otherwise fastened at spaced intervalsto the deck, the bottom edge of a wall and/or partition panel beingreceived and retained in the upper channel of such unit.

Where said unit I is used as a line post or as a ceiling unit, wallpanels or ceiling panels are received and retained in both channelsthereof (see .Figs. 1 and 2).

With the three-way divisional posts 2 (Fig. 3) and the four-waydivisional posts I (Fig. 5) the spaced pairs of parallel flanges I5forming the several channels thereof are arranged at right angles toeach other.

With the corner posts 3, detailed in Fig. 4, the

shape and proportions of the unit are such as to provide an offset orjog as at IT between the pair of spaced flanges I5 forming one channeland the flange pairforming the other channel.

The combined door bucks and jambs 4 as shown in Fig. l and as detailedin Fig. '7 comprise three interlocked sections I8, I8 and 20 whichtogether define an enclosed conduit for the electrical wiring as well asa channel for the reception of a wall panel.

The outer section I8 is interlocked with the opposing inner section I9.The third section 20 is a removable section which is removably fastenedto the inner section I9 and defines therewith and with the outer sectionI8 a channel for I:

the reception of the vertical edge of the wall panel.

This may be variously accomplished. As shown,

the ends of the outer section I8 are bent angularly to provide thehollow extensions 2 I. Witha constitutes with the adjacent cross wall 23of the inner section and with the adjacent wall of the removable section20 a channel for the reception of the panel edge.

Conveniently, the section 20 is U-shaped. That portion of the cross wall23 of the inner section I9 straddled by the legs of the U is preferablyangularly bent as at 24 to interlock withthe section 20. In order tomore reliably retain the removable section 28 on the section I9,additional fastenings, as the screws 25 or their equivalents may beused. Where screws are used, these extend through the cross bar of theU-section 28 and into the angularly bent portion 24 of the section I8.

The top structural members 5 shown in Fig. 1 may be variouslyconstructed. Essentially, they involve formations which will provide anenclosed space for electrical wiring, such space being preferablysub-divided to provide independent conduits through one of which lowtension wires may be led and through the other of which light and powerwires may be led.

Essentially, also they are of such construction as to permit convenientaccess to such wires, preferably being of sectional construction withone section detachable in whole or in part from I an adjacent section topermit such access.

Essentially, also they are of such construction as -to present alongtheir underneath surfaces channels for the reception of the top edges ofthe wall forming arid/or partition panels of the stateroom and at thesame time provide ready support and attachment for the outermost ceil-.

ing panels whichare inset from the deck beams of the deck above and areusually overlapped upon the upper faces of the top members andappropriately fastened in place by any suitable connectors.

The inner ceiling panels are supported in the channeled ceiling units I,but in order to permit convenient insertion of the final panel of theceiling panel assembly, I prefer to use the sectional unit 6 detailed inFig. 8. Such unit comprises two opposed sections 26 and 21 which definethe space-forming core or conduit for the electrical wiring, and theflanged channels for the reception of *the inserted ceiling or otherpanels. The two sections, however, are removably fastened'to each other,as by means of screws 28 or their equivalents or snap springs which passthrough one of the sections and engage in flanges 29 formed on thecooperating section. I prefer to pass two screws 28 through the section21 and to bend from the section 26 two flanges 1'9 inwardly into theconduit-space adistance sufiicient to receive the screws but notsufficiently to obstruct materially the conduitspace or interfere withtheelectrical wiring passing therethrough. 7

The modified form of structural unit-designated at 8 and detailed in'Fig. 9 is of such formation as to provide not only the claimed flangesfor the reception of panel edges but also a plurality of enclosed,independent space-forming conduits 30, here shown as three. This numbermay obviously be increased or reduced as desired by simply increasingordecreasing the number of cross-webs 3i sub-dividing the included space.

Various other modifications in methods, parts, and uses may obviously beresorted to within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined inthe appended claims. a

What I therefore claim and desire to, secure by Letters Patent is: I

i. A self-contained wall structure comprising top and bottom membersadapted to be fastened. respectively to ceiling and floor surfaces, andhaving spaced flanges forming substantially continuous horizontalchannels which respectively face each other in the respective members,spaced corner and partition posts extending vertically between the topand bottom members and having substantially continuous verticalchannels. and vertically disposed panels some oi which are disposed inangularly intersecting relation to each other and all of which havetheir vertical edges disposed in the channels of said comer or partitionposts, the ends of the posts extending no farther than the inner edgesof the respective flanges of the top and bottom members and the top andbottom edges of the panels projecting past the ends of said posts andinto the respective channels of the top and bottom members whereby toprovide a readily assembled and disassembled structure in which theposts are free of direct connection with the ceiling and floor and thepanels key the posts and top and bottom members together as a rigidinterlocked assembly and themselves constitute substantially the solemeans for fastening said parts in operative relationship.

2. The structure of claim 1, thetop members being adjustably suspendedfrom the ceiling surface.

3. The structure of claim 1, and ceiling panels and structural memberstherefor supported by said top members and having channels, and theedges of the ceiling panels being received in said channels.

4. The structure of claim 1, the ceiling panels and structural memberstherefor supported by said top members and having channels, and theedges of. the ceiling panels being received in said channels, at leastone of said structural members having a removable section to facilitateconvenient assembly of the final panel 01 the ceiling assembly.

5. The structure of claim 1, at least one. of said partition postscomprising at least three members, one member presenting a wall portionterminating at each end in a reversely angled portion, another memberpresenting a wall disposed I in spaced relation to the wall of saidfirst named member and having end walls disposed in spaced relation toeach other and terminating in bent locking portions adapted toi'rictionally engage said angled portions of the first-named member, anda third member, detachably engaged with one of the end walls 01 saidfirst named member and itself formed to provide a wall spaced from awall or one of the angled portions of the first member a distancecorresponding substantially to the thickness of a panel inserted betweenthe same.

GEORGE G. SHARP.

